Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday renewed his appeal for stronger air defence support, urging the United States to grant Ukraine licences to manufacture Patriot missile systems domestically as the country faces continued Russian missile and drone attacks.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces had achieved high interception rates against cruise missiles when adequate defensive capabilities were available but continued to struggle against ballistic missiles because of a shortage of interceptors, particularly those used by Patriot systems.

Ukraine Intercepts 31 Of 33 Russian Cruise Missiles

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian air defence forces had intercepted all six Kalibr missiles and 31 of the 33 cruise missiles launched by Russia overnight.

“All six Kalibr missiles were shot down last night, and 31 out of 33 cruise missiles were intercepted, meaning whenever the necessary capabilities are available, our warriors deliver truly high interception rates,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President said the country’s difficulties in defending against ballistic missile attacks were primarily the result of an insufficient supply of interceptor missiles.

“That is the only explanation for the problem with ballistic missiles – insufficient number of interceptors. This is especially true for Patriots,” he said.

Zelenskyy Seeks US Licences To Manufacture Patriot Systems

Calling for greater defence cooperation with Washington, Zelenskyy said Ukraine possessed the capacity to manufacture Patriot air defence systems domestically if the United States granted the necessary licences.

“We have long made the case that we are capable of producing such defensive weapons ourselves. If Ukraine were granted U.S. licenses to produce Patriots, our own production would be sufficient both to protect Ukraine and to help partners in need,” he said.

Zelenskyy said securing additional missiles for Ukraine’s air defence systems remained Kyiv’s foremost priority as Russian attacks continued.

“We are in contact with everyone around the world who can provide air defense missiles now. This is our top priority,” he added.

Russian Attack Kills At Least 14 In Kyiv Region

Earlier on Monday, Zelenskyy called on the United States and European countries to take “strong decisions” to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences following a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack.

According to the Ukrainian President, Russia launched 68 missiles and 351 attack drones during the overnight assault, killing at least 14 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region.

More than 10 locations across the Ukrainian capital were damaged in the attack, including residential buildings.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had successfully intercepted drones and cruise missiles but lacked sufficient interceptor missiles to defend against Russian ballistic missiles.

NATO Summit To Focus On Continued Support For Ukraine

Zelenskyy’s renewed appeal came as leaders of NATO member countries gathered in Ankara for the alliance’s summit, where continued military assistance to Ukraine is expected to remain a key focus.

Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allied countries were expected to present “clear, concrete and credible” plans to meet the alliance’s target of spending five per cent of GDP on defence by 2035.

Rutte stressed that NATO members and partner countries must continue providing Ukraine with the military assistance required to counter Russian aggression.

“Allies and NATO partners must continue to ensure Ukraine gets what it needs,” Rutte said.

“And let me be clear, all Allies need to pull their weight, so that our support to Ukraine continues to flow. Because Ukraine’s security is so closely linked with our own,” he added.

Rutte said the Ankara summit would focus on strengthening NATO’s deterrence capabilities, expanding defence industrial production and maintaining military assistance to Ukraine as the conflict with Russia continues.

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